Firefighter Injured, Homes Saved After Brush Fire Near Rochester

One firefighter was briefly hospitalized after a brush fire Monday evening that threatened several homes along U.S. Highway 12 in Rochester.

According to the West Thurston Regional Fire Authority, crews responded just after 5 p.m. Monday to reports of a brush fire in the area of the intersection of U.S. Highway 12 and 183rd Avenue Southwest in Rochester.

At one point, 12 homes were threatened by the fire that grew to 3.3 acres.

The fire originated near a set of railroad tracks, but it is unclear at this time exactly what caused the fire, said Captain Lanette Dyer of the RFA.

Dyer said crews from the state Department of Natural Resources are doing follow-up work to determine the cause of the fire.

One pump house was burned, but all homes were saved, according to the West Thurston RFA.

One firefighter was transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia for treatment of dehydration and smoke inhalation but was released later that night.

Responding agencies in addition to the West Thurston RFA included the McLane Black Lake Fire Department, East Olympia Fire District 6, South Thurston County firefighters, Riverside Fire Authority, Grays Harbor Fire District 1, Cedar Creek fire crews and the DNR.